


He Found His Future

by giles_forever8495



Series: The Reddington's [2]
Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Lizzington - Freeform, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 23:50:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13581558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giles_forever8495/pseuds/giles_forever8495
Summary: This is a sequel to He Found His Equal. (There may be more)Finally, she felt relief. Liz’s entire body sagged against Red’s chest and she closed her eyes. She felt as though she could sleep for a year, but then she heard the most precious sound – a startled cry from the life that had been inside her for nine months.





	He Found His Future

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: Dr. Kahlib Fischer is pronounced ‘Caleb Fisher’.

“Where to next, sweetheart?” Red asked as he squared his shoulders. Ten feet in front him a map of the world was pinned to the wall. He held a uniquely crafted tungsten dart. _This dart was used by Marcus Anderson in 1984,_ he’d told Lizzie when he bought the dart at an auction, _the man placed third in the world championship of darts. He was the best player that year but choked at the last minute. Total upset, Lizzie. To this day no one knows why!_ Red had been so excited to find what he called ‘the greatest piece of dart-history’ that Lizzie wouldn’t have dreamt of denying him the opportunity. 6.2 million dollars seemed like overkill for a single dart, but it’s monetary value no longer compared to its sentimental value. This was the dart that determined their adventures.

Liz had just walked out of the bathroom. Red had wanted to pick a new place for a few weeks now, but she hadn’t been feeling well so they put it off until this morning. She hated to postpone this any longer, for Red’s sake. Being sick for three weeks straight wasn’t great. Last week, she realized that what she thought was some kind of stomach bug or food poisoning was most likely morning sickness. When they got married, Liz stopped taking birth control, instead relying on the occasional use of condoms. But during their last trip to Sweden, they hadn’t used any protection at all. Yesterday, Liz realized it had been a while since her last period, so she asked one of the staff to procure a pregnancy t

“Hey, Red?” Liz called from their bedroom door.

He turned and a look of concern immediately flooded his features. “Are you still feeling sick, Lizzie?” He placed his special dart on a nearby table and met Liz in the middle of the room. 

She motioned for them to sit under the large window overlooking the horizon. A fluttering feeling settled in her stomach, and for the first time over the last weeks, it wasn’t nausea. She did her best to keep the smile off her face. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about…I think I know what’s going on,” as she spoke she pulled the pregnancy test from her pocket and handed it to him.

At first, Red’s face showed no emotion. He was processing what she said and the word typed in a computerized font – pregnant. He held the stick between both hands and looked at the word, again and again, then he looked up at Liz. Her eyes were open wide and expectant, her cheeks were filled with color, and he noticed the way her chest rose and fell rapidly. She was nervous, he thought. Finally, almost simultaneously, they both broke into smiles and tear-filled eyes. 

“Is this real?” Red breathed. At her eager nod, Red let out an excited sound, a combined sob-laugh, and the tears fell from his eyes. He threw his arms around her and pulled her tight against his chest. “Oh, sweetheart,” he cried, “I love you so much!”

She laughed and cried with him, “I love you too!”

They stayed like that for a few minutes, crying happily in each other’s arms, until Red turned her around in his arms and laced their hands over her stomach, over their growing child. 

He truly couldn’t believe it. So many thoughts ran through his mind. Lizzie was pregnant. She was carrying his child! He was going to be a father! Would he be a good father? Would his past haunt his family? Lizzie would, undoubtedly, be a good mother. Would the child be a boy or girl? Would it be healthy? Happy? Would they be able to raise the child here, on an island? Or would they need to move to a place with other children, a school, and a playground?

Lizzie could almost feel the cogs turning in his head. She turned around again, held his hands in hers, and smiled, “I know I haven’t been feeling well, but now that we know I’m not sick, you can throw that dart of yours.”

“Are you sure?” He asked hesitantly. “I want you to be able to enjoy any trip we go on. You’ve been miserable, sweetheart.”

“I know,” she laughed, “But now…now I’m just so excited!”

Red leaned in and kissed her forehead. After a moment, he grabbed his dart and instead of throwing it, he walked to the map and stuck the dart into a designated location.

“What are you doing?” Liz went to the map and looked under the dart, “What’s in New York City?”

Red was already walking into the bedroom. He called over his shoulder, “The best damn OB/GYN I know!”

* * *

 

It took Red about twenty minutes to plan their next trip. While he packed, he called Dr. Kahlib Fischer in New York and set up an appointment for Liz. The only reason Red was able to get an appointment so soon was that the doctor owed Red a favor. Back in 2007, Dr. Fischer worked privately for a man called Diavolo, a major player in the Italian Mafia. Diavolo’s wife, Maria, had many health issues but he wanted to have a family, so the man hired Dr. Fischer. Fischer was an in-home doctor, so he lived with Maria and Diavolo. Because of Fischer’s unique position, he fell in love with Maria and Maria in love with him. They needed to get away from Diavolo, so Fischer asked many of his colleague’s what to do. One ended up giving him contact information for the Concierge of Crime. Red made sure that Diavolo would never be a threat to either of them, a debt that Fischer was very eager to repay.

On the plane to New York, Red told Lizzie this story. “Now,” he finished, “Kahlib and Maria are married and living happily with three beautiful children.”

“What exactly did you do to make sure Diavolo wouldn’t be a threat to them?” She asked the question because he doesn’t keep secrets from her anymore. It took him a long time to trust her with the darker parts of himself, however, he realized after dealing with Tom that Liz understood that part of him all too well. She never encouraged that side of him, except in the case of her ex-husband, but she wanted to know that side. The psychologist in her was too curious. Plus, she often thought, in order to love someone, you need to know all of him.

Red took a sip of his scotch and let burn a path to his stomach before answering, “I killed him.” True, he doesn’t keep secrets anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s proud of his past deeds. While he doesn’t regret killing the people he’s killed, he does regret the man those killings made him. Lizzie was his saving grace in that respect. Her nonjudgmental approach to his past allowed him to be loved by her and to love her. She calmed the torment of his soul and soothed the nightmares in his mind.

“So he’s really the best you know?”

“He is. I’ve followed his career over the years as well. He’s done a number of research projects that have been highly successful in experimentation phases."

“He almost sounds overqualified,” she laughed.

“Lizzie, when it comes you and now our unborn child, there is no such thing as ‘overqualified.’” He could not have been more serious.

* * *

 

Dr. Fischer was an excellent physician. Initially, he confirmed the pregnancy with a blood test. Liz insisted on skipping it because she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was pregnant, even if it took her a few weeks to realize, but Red had other plans. He wanted to make sure there were no early signs of trouble. The funny thing was, Dr. Fischer was doing the test no matter what either of them said – doctor’s orders and all. To Red’s contentment, Dr. Fischer found nothing wrong. Liz wasn’t quite far enough along to see anything in an ultrasound; however, they were able to hear the baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler. And of course, both of them were in tears at the sound. The amount of joy flooding their features was infectious to the point of Dr. Fischer getting a bit teary-eyed. 

“Well,” Dr. Fischer sniffed and cleared his throat, “I’ll just let you two have some privacy. On your way out, make sure to set appointments for when you’re 18-weeks, 28-weeks, and then every four weeks after that.”

“Thank you, Kahlib,” Red emphasized has he shook that man’s hand and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Khalib patted his back gently. “You’re very welcome, my friend.” He leaned toward Liz and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “Call if you need anything, even if it sounds ridiculous.”

Lizzie nodded and smiled, still overcome with the joy of hearing her baby’s heartbeat. She watched quietly as Red and Dr. Fischer talked. I’m pregnant, she thought. Since she took the first test back on the island, she hadn’t given herself enough time to really process the information. Telling Red right away was more important than thinking, but now, she was relatively alone with her thoughts. Her eyes fell shut and she leaned her headed back on the medical bed. She wrapped her hands protectively around her abdomen and thought back on her life.

When she and Tom were married, they tried to have a family. Before Tom became abusive and controlling, they worked for months to adopt a little girl, but the universe wasn’t on their side. They had both been pretty devastated when they heard that the mother chose a different couple. Not long after, Tom’s anger took control of their lives and Liz didn’t want to bring a child into that world. She had long since given up on her dream of becoming a mother, of walking in a park with her husband and their little girl between them. Now, as she lies on the bed in this hospital room, she started to dream again, to believe again.

Red turned back into the room to find Lizzie resplendent and peacefully lounging on the bed. She had a smile stretching across her jaw. She looked absolutely lovely. He hated to intrude on this moment she was having, but he couldn’t stay away from her any longer. He crossed to her side and placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Hey,” she whispered softly.

“Hey,” he smiled and leaned in to kiss her properly.

* * *

 

She was screaming. Piercing shouts and sobs wracked through the room. He loathed seeing her in pain, but he could do nothing about it. He simply held her.

Lizzie was drenched in sweat from head to toe. She was dressed in a blue and pink hospital gown and she was crouched at the end of the bed. Dr. Fischer had just sat down between her legs telling her to get ready to push. Red was behind her on the bed supporting her back. He held her hands in his taking the brute force of her strength every time a contraction ripped through her.

“Alright,” Dr. Fischer explained, “It’s time to push.”

She tried with all her might and a roaring scream for good measure. A new flow of sweat seeped from her skin as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Panting, she let out another scream as she pushed harder than before.

Behind her, Red barely noticed the lack of feeling left in his hands, instead focusing on encouraging words. He pressed a kiss to her temple, “You’re doing so good, Lizzie.” Tears fell from his eyes as he watched. She looked incredibly beautiful.

More screaming, more pushing, more sweat, more tears. In the hours of pain that Liz found herself in, she thought over all of the moments that brought her here. Before Sam died, he encouraged her to find someone to spend her life with. He knew she could be anti-social if she wasn’t careful. So he made her promise to not let his death rule over her life. _“I’ll be gone, Butterball,”_ he’d said through dry coughs and a hoarse voice, _“I want you to do everything you’ve ever wanted. Marry your best friend, travel the world, and have lots of grandbabies that I can watch from upstairs.”_ She made the promise, if only because she wanted to make him happy. The next day Sam had passed, and two years after that she met Tom. He was a friend of a friend, and they were set up on a blind date. Liz had been so focused on trying to keep her promise to Sam that when someone came along who just barely fit her idea of a husband, she jumped in too soon. It cost her almost everything. She never traveled with Tom, they didn’t have children, and he most certainly wasn’t her best friend. But, if it hadn’t been for Tom, she never would have met Red. Red took her all over the world. He loved her unconditionally. Red was the man that helped Lizzie fulfill her promise to Sam. Without Tom, she never would have found her best friend, her husband, and now the father of her child.

“You’re doing great, Liz,” Dr. Fischer encouraged, “I’m starting to see a little head!” Liz pushed again with another roaring scream as Dr. Fischer carefully guided the little body into his hands.

Finally, she felt relief. Liz’s entire body sagged against Red’s chest and she closed her eyes. She felt as though she could sleep for a year, but then she heard the most precious sound – a startled cry from the life that had been inside her for nine months.

“Would you like to meet him?” Dr. Fischer asked as he gently wrapped the baby in a blanket.

“Him?” Red asked in a choked cry. At Dr. Fischer’s nod, both Red and Liz cried out in joy and reached their arms out.

Red looked over Liz’s shoulder as she cradled their baby boy in her arms. He touched the baby’s head with one hand and his feet with the other. The little one hadn’t been cleaned yet, but neither Red nor Lizzie cared. They were overjoyed and crying like fools – happy, thankful fools.

“Do you know what you want to name him?” A nurse asked as she prepared to clean the baby.

They had talked about names over the months, but because they wanted to be surprised by the gender, they hadn’t quite decided. Red had wanted the name Margaret if it was a girl or Todd if it was a boy. Liz had wanted Agnes for a girl or James for a boy. On this last trip back to New York, they talked again about names and tried to decide on one name for each gender. Still, they hadn’t decided. But holding the boy in their arms and seeing his beautiful face, they knew. Without so much as a shared look, they said, “James. James Todd.”

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: I went back and forth trying to decide if I wanted them to have a boy or girl. In the show, and in all of the family-fics that I read, they always have a girl. So I wanted to do something different. Also, because I love James Spader, I had to name the baby after him.


End file.
